Herbs In The Garden: Sage (and Recipes)
By Cindy Naas
Sage is a wonderful herb with many uses.
Herbalists use it as a digestive aid, some people grow it just for its aromatic qualities used in freshening a house, and its uses in cooking are numerous.
For the urban gardener, sage can be a great choice for a dry sunny corner where nothing else likes to grow.
Growing: Sage is another Mediterranean herb which likes hot dry well-draining soil. This is one plant which will be very unhappy during a humid summer. If you live in a humid region, add a lot of grit and sand to the soil around the sage, and make sure it is not crowded near another plant. Without adequate air circulation and well drained soil, your sage will not thrive.
Harvesting: Sage has large soft leaves which feel pleasant to hold, but the scent will remain on your hands for a long while after picking. I like the fragrance, but many don’t, so you might consider gloves when harvesting sage. Choose the larger leaves, plucking them off the branches rather than cutting the branches of sage for cooking. At the end of the season you can also prune back the sage, saving the cut branches to hang in your linen closet for a wonderfully summery smell.
Storing: Pick fresh sage just prior to using, as it loses its flavour rather quickly. If you intend to store it, layer sage leaves one layer at a time in dry paper towels in the fridge. Sage can be frozen whole or minced up and frozen in ice cubes to add to soups and stews later on.
Recipes: I’m not going to include a recipe for sage stuffing. Every family has its own favourite- and besides, there are so many wonderful ways to use sage. Here are just a couple of my favourites:
Sage Marinade for Chicken:
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
- juice from 4 lemons
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 dash hot sauce (Tabasco)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Combine all ingredients and marinate a whole chicken in this. Leave in the fridge overnight, or for at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 450F. Drain marinade, reserving garlic and a few sage leaves. Stuff sage and garlic into cavity of chicken. Place chicken in preheated oven, turning heat down to 325F. Bake until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
Sage in Browned Butter
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves (note: this will not work with dried sage)
- 1 cup fresh butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Heat butter over medium heat. Cut sage leaves into strips, and add to pan when butter is melted. Saute slowly until butter looks a bit browned around the edges and the sage is very fragrant. Make sure not to burn the sage, cook at a medium temperature.
Just before you remove from heat, add the minced garlic and stir. Remove from heat, and add minced parsley and some freshly ground pepper. This is a wonderful finish to pasta or chicken. It is a wonderful accompaniment to gnocchi, and it also makes a yummy bread dip with an antipasto plate.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
This is so funny. This morning I was just reading about and considering planting sage!!! Then I get my alert for this blog and find a great write-up about it!!! I too enjoy sage and especially it’s fragrance. Thank you for this this!!
August 12th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
LivingSimply, thank you for your kind words. I hope you enjoy your sage plant. This morning my entire herb garden smelled like fresh sage, it was heavenly!